South Portland Man Found Guilty of Possessing Firearm After Domestic Violence Conviction in Third Federal Trial

A South Portland man has been found guilty of possessing a firearm after being convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor after three federal trials spanning over nearly six years.

Willie Richard Minor, 63, formerly of Auburn, was found guilty Tuesday of the firearm possession charge in U.S. District in Portland.

Minor was prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition due to a 2010 conviction in Maine Superior Court of assaulting his then-wife.

According to court records, Minor admitted to having a gun in a November 2016 interview with Auburn Police, after which the police recovered the gun from his apartment.

While Minor was convicted of the firearm possession charge in first trial in December 2017, the original conviction was vacated and the case was remanded for a new trial due to the U.S. Supreme Court issuing a decision in Rehaif v. United States.

In Rehaif v. United States, the Supreme Court clarified that federal prosecutors must prove that a person charged with possession a firearm as a “prohibited person” both knowingly possessed a gun, and that the person knew of their prohibited status.

Minor was convicted again on the federal charge in a second federal trial in February 2020, and was sentenced in September 2020 to time served and three years of supervised release.

In March 2023, however, the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals found that the jury in Minor’s February 2020 trial was incorrectly instructed on what the prosecution is required to prove under the Supreme Court’s Rehaif decision, resulting in Minor’s third and final trial.

“This case was particularly important because the new jury instructions given here provide clarity for our future pursuit of such prosecutions against former domestic abusers who illegally possess firearms across Maine,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine Darcie McElwee said Wednesday.

“Those convicted of abusing their loved ones should understand that illegal gun possession will not be tolerated in Maine,” McElwee said.